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Public hearing Jan. 5 addresses Walleye Wind Farm

Lead Summary
By
Lori Sorenson

NextEra Energy will begin construction next summer on 40 or more turbines in western Rock County if plans are approved for the Walleye Wind Farm
A remote-access public hearing is set for Jan. 5 for the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission to share information and accept comments about the 109.2 megawatt project.
The $150 million project footprint includes Beaver Creek Township and portions of Springwater and Luverne townships with up to 44 turbines each producing 2.32 to 2.82 MW for Northern States Power.
Over the past several months, the company has been meeting with landowners about potential sites for the turbines.
Lease payments to landowners are expected to generate approximately $34 million over the life of the wind farm.
With 40 turbines operating for what could be 50 years, payments would be roughly $17,000 per turbine per year.
 
‘Haves and have-nots’
For those who sign, they’re guaranteed farm income that’s hard to turn down, especially after the past several years of poor commodity prices and global trade wars.
Tim and JoEllen Benson have land that’s been identified for alternative wind turbine sites. They voiced mixed reactions to proposed plans.
“We were apprehensive about the disruption the process may cause in the spring with planting and fall with harvest during the construction phase,” Tim Benson said.
“If we opposed the project and it moved forward, we would still potentially have a windmill nearby without the financial benefit of a wind lease.”
They said an additional source of revenue for their farming operation appeals to them, but they also support the community gains — roughly $20 million in tax revenue over the first 30 years for Rock County.
“In addition to the benefit of the project for the participating landowners, this opportunity offers a potentially significant revenue source for the county and the township,” said JoEllen, who is the Beaver Creek Township Board clerk.
“Our hope would be that local businesses would benefit and employment opportunities would increase.”
She also said the turbines’ effect on scenery is a small thing, considering clean energy benefits.
“We feel everyone should play a role in contributing to the preservation of our environment for future generations,” JoEllen said.
The Bensons spoke candidly, but many in Beaver Creek Township declined to be quoted on the record.
“We know there are some who are against wind farms, and we know there are some who wish they had a turbine, but weren’t selected,” one said.
“The last thing that anybody wants is animosity in the neighborhood among those who have and those who have not.”
Some don’t trust the process; others don’t want construction and turbines to interfere with current farming practices.
“I didn’t work this hard for this many years to get half-mile rows only to have a turbine parked in the middle of a field,” said one who declined a wind contract.
The lease agreements are for 50 years, commencing after the wind farm becomes operable, and they’re adjusted for inflation.
Annual payments vary, but roughly speaking, it’s a better deal to take the lease payments than to farm the ground.
“I can put $700 into an acre of corn, or I can get the same income for a lot less work,” said a farmer who’s negotiating for three turbines on his land.
Plus there are attractive signing bonuses, and farmers may use the access roads to the turbines, which require roughly 1.5 acres each. 
 
What the company will and won’t do
On its website, NextEra touts the benefits of the project to Rock County and its residents.
In addition to local government tax credits and landowner payments, Walleye Wind will create up to 200 construction jobs and three to four good-paying, full-time jobs for maintenance and operation.
The project will also provide indirect income to local businesses, including hotels, restaurants, caterers and other companies.
The company has addressed several key concerns among local officials and landowners.
•A road maintenance agreement calls for roads to be returned to the current or a better condition than prior to construction.
•There will be no blinking lights atop the turbines. A radar system will activate red warning lights when an aircraft approaches the wind farm.
•Electricity collected in the project substation will be directed to Northern States Power and delivered to Minnesota Municipal Power Agency for use in the southwestern part of the state.
•For bird safety, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife and Minnesota Department of Natural Resources is surveying the wind farm area to mitigate impact on wildlife.
•Plans and funding are in place for decommissioning the turbines when the time comes.
 
Decommission plans
Walleye Wind Farm developers have assured Rock County officials they will not abandon the renewable energy source at the end of its life expectancy.
A decommissioning agreement states that NextEra will remove turbines and related equipment at an estimated cost of $89,000 per turbine in 2020 dollars.
This estimate includes a partial offset from the salvage values of turbine components and electrical equipment.
Funding for decommissioning will be completed through a bond NextEra plans to purchase next year.
The bond amount, held by the state of Minnesota, is based on the wind farm’s fair market value and is reviewed every few years.
Included in NextEra’s requested construction permit submitted to the PUC is the removal of the seven non-operational wind turbines in Beaver Creek Township.
NextEra purchased the wind rights from previous Walleye Wind Farm developer Renewable Energy Systems (RES) in 2019.
“We recognize in the last two years other developers in the region have irresponsibly disposed of their blades in landfills. We do not do that,” project manager Mike Weich told county officials in October.
NextEra, based out of Juno Beach, Florida, has developed wind farms in 47 different states over the past decade.
“We’ve experienced a lot and we have learned along the way how to become good neighbors,” Weich said.
 
What’s next?
An office opened on East Main Street in Luverne where people can stop or call with questions. Weich’s phone number is 561-694-3987.
To view documents filed with the Public Utilities Commission, go to mn.gov/puc, select “Search eDockets,” enter the year (20) and the docket number (269 or 384) and select “search.”
The Jan. 5 public hearing will begin at 6 p.m. For information on how to participate, call 651-201-2251. Written comments are accepted through Jan. 26.
The defunct Beaver Creek turbines will come down in the summer of 2021 at the same time construction is tentatively scheduled to begin on the 40 new turbines in western Rock County.
The PUC is expected to issue a ruling on NextEra’s certificate of need and construction permit requests in mid-2021.
Construction on the wind farm is tentatively scheduled for August through December 2021.

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